Politics

Ambassador Jon Huntsman Diagnosed With Cancer

REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman revealed Thursday that he has been diagnosed with stage one cancer.

“It’s just stage one,” Huntsman shared with the Deseret News. “So we’ll probably get it taken care of, and we’ll be fine.”

His comments came after he met with doctors at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah after he noticed a small black spot on his ear and leg. The moles were later removed. (RELATED: Report: Abby Huntsman Negotiating Move From Fox News To ‘The View’)

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to Russia on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to Russia on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Huntsman recently lost his close friend and Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who also had been diagnosed with the melanoma. In February, the former Utah governor lost this father to cancer, as well, which was not lost on the ambassador.

“It kind of puts things in perspective,” Huntsman explained.

The article noted that the ambassador, who previously ran briefly for president in 2012, will meet with his doctors and have regular checkups to make sure the cancer does not spread.

Reacting to the news, his daughter and co-host on “The View,” Abby Huntsman, talked about her father’s diagnosis and explained on the show how it has been a “wake-up call.”

“I think as every daughter, I’m like Meghan [McCain]. I’m a daddy’s girl,” Huntsman shared. “It’s like a wake-up call. It’s passed down to me as well.”

“If you look at my chest, I had — two weeks ago — a mole taken out that was headed in the same direction as his,” she added. “Skin cancer, which is the most common type of cancer there is. So, just a wake-up call to everyone here and everyone watching: go get checked out.”

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 31: Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, touches the casket during the ceremony honoring the late US Senator inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, August 31, 2018 in Washington, D.C. The late senator died August 25 at the age of 81 after a long battle with brain cancer. He will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Friday, a rare honor bestowed on only 31 people in the past 166 years. Sen. McCain will be buried at his final resting place at the U.S. Naval Academy on Sunday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, touches the casket during the ceremony honoring the late US Senator inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, August 31, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Huntsman continued, “Meghan was the first person that I called. Honestly, Meghan, I don’t know how you did it. This is a completely different situation. But like this is real life. And you always say, ‘Do I cry too much on the show?’ No, you don’t cry too much on the show. Because this is who you are and this is life. And we don’t love anyone more than our family.”

“So hang on tight to the people that you love,” the former Fox News host said. “And go get yourself checked out.”

A short time later she tweeted, “Damn Huntsman moles! Get checked, wear sunscreen, and cherish every minute [with] the people you love.”